IN-FORM hooker Elliot Dee hopes that the Dragons festive derby struggles doesn’t lead to him missing out to his Wales rivals when Warren Gatland names his Six Nations squad tomorrow.

The 23-year-old from Newbridge has had a superb first half of the season that was rewarded with a Test debut in the win against Georgia in November and a second cap in the success against South Africa.

Dee was named alongside Scarlets and Lions ace Ken Owens and Cardiff Blues’ Kristian Dacey for the autumn but also faces competition for the place in Gatland’s Six Nations squad from the Ospreys’ Scott Baldwin, who was man of the match against the Dragons on New Year’s Eve, and Scarlets prospect Ryan Elias.

The Rodney Parade region haven’t won since beating Enisei-STM in the second week of December and suffered a trio of derby defeats to the Blues, Ospreys and Scarlets.

Dee hopes that he has done enough to keep his spot when the squad is named at 11am tomorrow.

“I would absolutely love to be in the squad. I had a taste of it in the autumn and it was an incredible experience,” said the energetic front-rower, who returned against Bordeaux-Begles last weekend after missing the derby in Llanelli with concussion.

“It’s been tough in the last couple of weeks, it’s hard to shine in games when you don’t get the results but fingers crossed, I’d love to be involved.

“The Six Nations would mean everything. I am just dying to get in the squad, if selected I’d want to push as hard as I can to get as much game time as I can.

“It seems that everyone has picked up their game recently – Scott Baldwin is on form at the moment, Kristian Dacey is back, Ken has been on form – so there is massive competition.”